Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

Connie Hunter-Jamison is a partner at StudioStereo, a multi-disciplinary design firm based in East Belfast which she co-founded with her late husband Craig in 2008.    Some of her clients include:

• Madlug
• Van Morrision
• Belfast Whiskey Club
• And many, many more…

  From hot chocolate start-ups to multi-million-pound tech companies, Connie’s day-to-day is spent helping people communicate more effectively what it is they do well.    Her approach to branding is informed by her background as a photographer but draws equally on her broad artistic palate and principled approach to visual communication.    In today’s conversation we chat about:

• Starting a business during the 2008 recession
• Dealing with grief and loss at such a young age
• The importance of moving forward (rather than moving on)
• And the greatest successes she’s experienced along the way

  Check it out.    //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/connie-hunter-jamison-studio-stereo   //   What's One Thing Most People Don't Know About You? I once got into a load of trouble in school for selling my free school dinner tickets.   What's Your Favourite Book? Ok this is not a very satisfying answer…but 90% of the books I’ve read in the last decade (or more specifically since having kids) I haven’t finished. I have a real issue with “taking time for myself”, and as reading is such a solitary activity that requires extraction from activity/“doing” it always gets bumped down my list until I realise it’s been 6 months and I’m still only on chapter 3. I guess that’s why I listen to a lot of podcasts…?! I need to commit to audiobooks, up my game. So picking a favourite feels like an exercise in pretence, because I probably haven’t read a book in years that’s really blown me away, but that’s more to do with my own crappy attitude. Plenty of classics in my “have read” list, but naming any of them just feels wanky because I don’t cite them as having had a profound impact on me. I still think writing literature is one of the highest art forms, though. I’d just struggle to pick “the one”. Basically I’m a very tormented lover of literature who barely reads. I’m also a tormented artist who rarely paints. And a tormented musician who can’t play any instruments *facepalm*...can of worms much? Ha!   What's Your Favourite Quote? I saw an Oliver Jeffers keynote speech this year at the Adobe conference (perks of Covid, it was all remote)—and I'm paraphrasing, but the basic thrust of it was "everyone's just making it up as they go along, no one has a clue what they're doing". I love reflecting on that, and I come back to it all the time. It's true, right?   Show notes:

• Santa Ponsa is a coastal town in Western Majorica
• Don Draper Pitching The Carousel
• Don Draper telling Peggy to move forward

Welcome to Sport Inspires, a podcast recorded with the Mary Peters Trust and made possible by the Coca-cola Thank you Fund.    Today’s episode is with Irish Hockey Captain Katie Mullan, the Coleraine player leading the team to their first-ever Olympic Games.   Along the way myself and Gold Medalist Lady Mary Peters ask about :

• The role team spirit has played in their success
• What it was like to win a silver medal in the world cup while being ranked 15th
• And how they’ve been training through lockdown to become the first women’s team in history to take home an Olympic medal in just a few weeks times.

  Thanks so much for being here and we really hope you enjoy.   //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/katie-mullan-ireland-hockey

  Pamela and Richard Lilburn are the owners of Brookvale Farm, a 100-year old family farm that has been taking County Down by storm after they installed a milk vending machine just a few months ago.   It’s where I get my milk, it’s the best milk I’ve ever tasted in Northern Ireland if you like a bit of nostalgia,  it even comes in a reusable glass bottle, which you can come back to the farm and fill-up yourself with either creamy whole milk or a wide-range of Brookvale milkshakes from their vending machine.    The most fun part about their farm is that they’ve opened it up to the general public, so you can go and visit the cows, calves and Mr T the horse with your friends and family while you fill-up.   In today’s episode we talk about:

• How an accountant ended up marrying a dairy farmer
• Why store-bought milk "isn't really milk"
• And what happens when 1000’s of people start queuing outside your house for milk!

  Check it out.   // Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/brookvale-farm-milk-vending-machine  

How is Northern Ireland tackling the climate challenge? What are some of the things we can do to help? And why should we even care in the first place?   In today’s episode, we catch up with our panel of experts to discuss the role businesses should play in tackling climate change and how you and I can prepare for the economy of the future.   The voices featured in this discussion include:

• Belfast City Council’s Sustainable Development Lead Clare McKeown
• Queens University’s Professor of Green Political Economy John Barry 
• Ulster Bank’s Regional Director Of Entrepreneurship Lynsey Cunningham

  Along the way, we chat about where each of our panellist's individual passion for the environment came from, what Northern Ireland is doing well, and how we could do even better.    Check it out.  //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/northern-ireland-climate-change-panel //

Christine Boyle is the CEO of Senergy, a Belfast-based business bringing the world’s first nanocomposite solar thermal panels to market later this year.   Not only is their technology is 50% cheaper and 3-4 times more efficient than other solar options, but they’ve also raised £1.7 million of investment while still retaining 96% ownership (!)   In today’s episode we talk about:

• Christine’s early education working in her dad’s roofing business 
• The challenges and limitations of traditional solar panels
• And how she’s handled the highs and lows of start-up life

  Check it out.   //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/christine-boyle-senergy //

Dr Lucy Tallents is a wildlife conservationist who spent 10 years teaching at Oxford University before launching her environmental e-learning start-up VerdantLearn.   After spending many years in the field herself, Lucy’s next adventure is to empower wildlife conservation professionals around the world through VerdantLearn’s collaborative online learning platform.    In today’s episode we talk about:

• Her time spent living up the Ethiopian mountains to study wolves
• What the biodiversity crisis is and why it matters
• And what it was like transitioning from the academic world to the entrepreneurial rollercoaster!

  Check it out.    // Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/lucy-tallents-verdantlearn //

Stephen Dunn describes himself as “just an ordinary guy” — despite cycling the entire length of Ireland, running marathons and becoming the first environmental consultant in Northern Ireland.   After the success of his first business SDS Energy, Stephen and his co-founder Brian have created a new start-up called CarbonFIT: whose sole purpose is to help businesses reduce their Carbon Footprint.   (Which is more important than ever now that the government is introducing a Carbon Tax!)   In today’s episode we talk about:

• How he went from washing pots to becoming a CEO
• ‘Green bling’ versus ‘actually making a change’
• Why he got into Carbon Reduction before it was cool
• And… what carbon actually is— and why it matters!

  Check it out.    // Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/stephen-dunn-carbonFIT //

Blayne Shaw is an entrepreneur who worked in his family’s fashion business. Toyah Warnock is a Chemistry PhD who worked in a lab.    Now they’re co-founders of Lane44: an eco-friendly shaving company who are on a mission to end the 1 billion plastic razors sent to landfill sites each year.   In today’s episode we talk about:

• How the humble yet might safety razor is better for your skin and planet
• The mad whirlwind of e-commerce and influencer marketing during COVID
• And why your bathroom is the least environmentally friendly room in your house.

  Check it out!   //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/lane44-eco-friendly-razor //

Hey folks. Hope you’re doing well.   Just hopping on to give you a quick heads up about an exciting new mini-series we’re rolling out next week…   ‘Climate Of Change’ is a five-part podcast series presented in partnership with Ulster Bank featuring Northern Irish start-ups who are tackling the climate challenge.    Each episode is an opportunity to discover the incredible individuals on our doorstep doing their bit for planet earth and building great businesses along the way.   Dropping a short 30-minute (ish!) episode every day next week Monday-Friday and wrapping the week up with a panel discussion featuring local experts for World Environment Day.   Stay tuned to hear from Animal Conservationists, renewable energy entrepreneurs, solar panel start-ups and even an eco-friendly shaving company…   Thanks so much as always and really hope you enjoy!    — Matt

Chris Gunning is the Finance Transformation Service lead at Heineken in Amsterdam where he has been living with his family over the last 20 years.     Starting off back in Belfast with an Accountancy Degree from Queens, he’s since lived and worked all over the world on every continent — except Antarctica — for Global Tech Companies, Automotive businesses and now one of the biggest beer brands in the world.     Chris is also:

• A self-confessed metal-head
• An avid-kayaker
• And the most James Bond-like accountant, I’ve ever met in my life.

    In today’s show, we hear stories about growing up in Belfast in the ’70s, working under the supervision of armed guards in Pakistan and being whisked out of an unnamed South American country after he and his team discovered something they shouldn’t have…     Check it out.   //   Webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/chris-gunning-heineken